Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

Have you ever asked a committee of 4 or 5 women who were very interested in something to tell you about it? From a man’s perspective you get 8 perspectives at once all trying to say the same thing from different angles. Thankfully, The Trim Healthy Mama Plan, is only written by two women so you only get 3 or 4 perspectives. Over 200 pages long, I believe it could be shortened to well under 100 if all of the “fluff” is removed. The introduction states that this book is written by women for women and I believe them. I was often mentally exhausted after finishing a chapter. However, for a woman this book most likely speaks to their soul by bouncing around like Tigger in a trampoline park. Most women do not read a book cover to cover and in order and this book follows that model to a “T.”

Once I stumbled through the fluff, the repeated info, and the seemingly contradictory info, I was left with good information to begin a new way of eating. As my wife and I discussed the ideas, she often would give new information that is not in the book. The information came from their various Social Media sites. This frustrated me. Why wade through this massive pile of spaghetti, when the website had a bulleted list containing the actual info you need? The book even suggests checking out their sites.

At the end of the day, the plan is good. This book is still better than the original. Save some money and go to the internet to learn the basics.

I received a copy of this book from “Blogging for Books” for this review.

I was given an e-copy of Sent by WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for reviewing purposes. Here is that review.

Hilary Alan wrote Sent as a sort of memoir of the journey her family went through over the past 8 years. The story follows her family as they said, “Yes” to Jesus and went on an amazing journey to find themselves living for three years in Southeast Asia. She covers her fears of selling everything they owned to the thoughts of a mother that is uprooting her two teenagers and ends with the joys of doing what they were called to do.

This might sound terrible, but my main issue with the book is that is is written by a girl. She writes well, but in a way that is only going to be appealing mostly to women. I still enjoyed the book immensely but the constant talking about how she felt and the thoughts in her mind were a little much for me.

Also, the entire book feels like the conversation you would have with Hilary when she got back and was recounting events. Instead of being chronological, the book is topical, in that she tells about one person they met while there and gives the 3 year account on that person. The next chapter is another three year tale of a different person. In some ways this makes the book easier to pick up and read as you do not have to remember every detail of what comes before a chapter t enjoy it.

I think this book and others like it should be required reading for anyone that calls themselves a Follower of Jesus. All of us need to be willing to say “YES” to Jesus no matter how big or small the request seems. I hope that my family would be as willing and obedient as the Alans should we be asked to do something similar.

Bottom Line is read this book if you get it, especially if you are a girl.

I just finished, “Who Do You Think You Are?” by Mark Driscoll. I actually used this book for the last several days as my quiet time “devotional.” In this book, Driscoll talks about our identity that we have in Christ as followers of Jesus. He does this by walking through the book of Ephesians a few verses at a time and pointing out what it says about who we are. This book is by no means an exhaustive treatment of the book of Ephesians, but it does go over every verse and pull out the themes that are there without ever seeming to force an idea to be present that is not really there.

I highly recommend this book for all believers, as most of us struggle with identity issues without even realizing it. Personally, the last two chapters were the most meaningful for me, but this book seems to be one that will hit different people in the face at different points in time. One great bonus to the book is that Driscoll is currently preaching through he same themes as the book at Mars Hill Church. This means that you can hear him talk through a section if you wanted more info or didn’t quite understand something as it was written.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

I can’t begin to recommend this book enough. You have likely heard some of the hype about them talking about Sex too much and going into subjects that Christians shouldn’t. However, my stance is that when you read chapters 1-5 it changes how you see 6-10, especially 10. In this book the Driscolls share very personal info about the trials and tests of their marital relationship over the years. Mark is known for being a bit raw, but always speaking the truth as based in Scripture. Very little opinion is given in this book an even when it is it is backed by several sources. The end notes section of this book is quite lengthy.

I think anyone who is married, plans to be married, or used to be married should read this book. There were sections that did not relate directly to my life, but they do give me an insight to situations friends have been in so that I can minister to them more effectively. You will laugh your head off at parts of this book and turn red at others (especially if you grew up in a more conservative environment).

Many churches refuse to tak about sex, which leaves most Christians to search answers from the world. Again I will say, the chapters on se are meaningless if you cannot grasp the chapters on marriage, that is why they come first in the book.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

I have been hearing about Andy Stanley’s new book The Grace of God for some time. I was very excited to finally get a copy to read for myself. I have to say that I am a fan of Andy, Northpoint Ministries, and Mexican Food (not related). I know several people that accuse him of growing a huge church by never using the Bible and staying an inch deep. I was interested in reading this book to search out that accusation as well.

I was very pleased/impressed with this book. Andy Stanley walks through the Bible pointing out the grace that God showed even in areas that we would not normally think of when we think of Grace. There is something in this book for every person whether or not they consider themselves a Christian. There are challenges to the church, to Christians (both new and well seasoned), and to anyone else that has ever needed grace. The way that Andy conveys the Bible Stories seems to almost simplify them, but in a really good way. There is not a lot of big, theological words, but he does not skip over the theology.

Grace is something we all need and almost all misunderstand. You should read this book. It will help you understand grace, why you need it and how you can give it.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com <http://BookSneeze.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Some of you may have heard of this blog called “Stuff Christians Like” written by Jon Acuff. The blog has gotten a bit popular, and now Jon has a book out by the same name. I have agreed to let him write a guest post to help promote his book to my readers. So I give you the first content to ever appear on this site written by a real blogger:

The “Is that contestant on American Idol a Christian? Scorecard”

85. Someone tells you that “a friend of a friend told them that they used to go to church with the contestant” = + 2 points